Serpentine
by onixxfilth
Summary: Sequel to "Grell Gets His Wish." A mysterious being comes to town, claiming a connection with Lottie. What will happen? Rated for possible future yaoi, may change.
1. Chapter 1

"Serpentine"

**Author note: And here you have it, the long-awaited sequel! Hope you enjoy!**

It was a dark, stormy night in the city of London, and the rain was lashing down. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed, illuminating a figure perched on a nearby rooftop. The man crouched, seemingly unaffected by the downpour; he didn't mind getting a little wet as it was a simple matter for one such as him to dry off. The wind whipped at his long auburn hair and snatched the black velvet ribbon binding it and ripped it away.

"Oh fiddle, and that was my favorite one," he complained to no one in particular as the ribbon soared out of sight.

He supposed he could have caught it if he'd tried, but he was too absorbed in his task to bother. His eyes flared a bright yellow at the thought of the confrontation to come. As his anticipation and excitement grew, he could feel an itching at the roof of his mouth. His fangs longed to be set free, to swing down and into striking position, but he held back.

"This is a discussion, not a kill," he reminded himself, speaking aloud.

His powerful thigh muscles bunched. _Three, two one…_ He leapt from the building and landed in the street in front of the shop he'd been watching, a feat that would have killed a mere mortal.

Inside, Undertaker started. He'd been so absorbed in his work of readying a body for a funeral that he hadn't even caught the odd scent until it was nearly too late. The door was flung open just as he reached the main area of the shop and a figure loomed in the doorway.

"Is it really you?" Undertaker asked, for once not his usual amused self. "It's been, well…ages! My goodness, you're all grown up, aren't you?"

"I've _been_ grown for hundreds of years," the other ground out. "And don't even bother with my old name…it's Rue now."

"Rue, is it? A bitter plant indeed, ehehe!" Undertaker chuckled. "Rue's for regret, you know."

"Yes, I know," Rue drawled. "I'm _everyone's _regret, _yours_ most of all!"

This last bit was delivered with an open-mouthed snarl, and Rue could no longer control himself. His fangs swung down and forward and his tongue transformed, becoming forked.

"Doesss it pain you to sssee me again?" Rue demanded, his "s's" becoming sibilant the more his serpent-demon side took over.

"It's not you, Rue!" Undertaker pleaded, all mirth uncharacteristically leaving him.

"Yess, 'It'sss not you, Rue! It'ssss what your father did!'" Rue mocked, his eyes blazing yellow and flickering as if lit from within by the very fires of hell. "Excussesss! You've hated me sssince the day I was born!"

"Not you, Rue, never you!" protested Undertaker, attempting to embrace the younger being.

Rue drew back with a snakelike hiss.

"No, _Mother_, it'sss not that easssy," he spat, speaking the title as if it was a dirty word. "I left because I could sssenssse your disssgussst. You tolerated me asss long asss you could."

"The Elders located you and even had you privately trained because they knew what an uproar it would cause if you went through the academy like most young shinigami," Undertaker said, realizing he was getting nowhere with his son on the topic of his feelings for him.

"Yesss, and it'sss given me _many _tasssty mealsss. I imagine I eat better than mossst demonsss, who mussst form contracts with humansss and wait yearsss for their sssoulsss," Rue admitted, distracted by Undertaker's gambit.

Undertaker had to admit that it did make him somewhat uneasy that Rue's demon side was dominant, but it didn't _disgust_ him as Rue contended that it did. He'd dealt with plenty of demons over the centuries. One, however, _had_ bested him. Gleeful at having captured a reaper, the creature set about humiliating him any way it could, including rape. Several months later, Undertaker had realized that, as impossible as it seemed, he was expecting. The result, of course, was now standing before him.

Shinigami and demons, along with many other supernatural beings, could appear any age they wished after reaching adulthood. Rue preferred a rather youthful appearance, what would be equivalent to a human male in his early twenties.

"The mass death scenes I work are positively _delightful_. One soul a scene for my very own- much better than being some human's pet for years, possibly decades," Rue continued. "Tame demons- hmph!"

Undertaker could tell that Rue was calming as the sibilance had disappeared from his speech; he was beginning to reassert control over his form. Actually, he supposed that Rue likely had several forms, including the demon one that had just been breaking through until Rue had suppressed it. He had never seen the boy in complete demon form, however, and could only guess at it in instances such as this.

"What brings you back to London, hmm?" he asked Rue.

"Special assignment, as usual," Rue grinned. Suddenly he became more solemn, although a hint of excitement still crept into his tone. "I wish I could have been here five years ago, though, when my betrothed was born."

"Betrothed? You don't mean…"

"I don't know her name, but it _is_ true- _every_ shinigami, including me, felt when it happened."

"It may be true that shinigami can sense a momentous even such as the birth of a second halfblood, but where did you get the idea that you and Lottie are betrothed?"

"The prophecy," Rue breathed, almost prayerfully. "I need to…I need to meet her!"

"Hold on, prophecy?"

Rue made a noise and rolled his eyes, as if to say that Undertaker, of all people, should have been aware of this important vaticination.

"It's in that book of yours, Mother. The huge purple one that foretold my birth and hers."

"Well for goodness' sake, Rue- by the way, I don't care for that name- that thing is as vague as Nostradamus! How I was I supposed to know that _I _was the shinigami who'd carry the first demon/shinigami hybrid ever? It could have been anyone!"

"Don't be obtuse," Rue groaned, frustrated. "I'm not blaming you, merely mentioning it as a means of designating which book I meant!"

"Then we ought to examine that augury, shouldn't we? Ehehehe!" Undertaker cackled, becoming himself again.

He hunted through the disorganized shelves of which his library consisted, musing to himself that he'd had no idea how far-reaching the effects of Rue's birth would be. He and many others in the upper echelons of the reaper realm had been sworn to secrecy on the whole matter. Ordinary rank-and-file reapers had no idea that Lottie wasn't the first of her kind. One heard rumors, but they were mostly dismissed as stories with no basis in fact. Now, however…If Rue was truly betrothed to Grell and Sebastian's daughter, he'd of course want to meet _them_, and if he met Grell, well…the flaming red reaper was hardly the soul of discretion. What an imbroglio the whole thing would turn into!

Finally, he spotted the sought-after volume and brought it down from the shelf.

"Give it here!" Rue cried eagerly, practically ripping it from Undertaker's arms.

"Calm down, m'boy! It's not going to change because you look at it a few seconds later!" the elder shinigami chuckled.

Rue eagerly flipped through the tome until he got to the passage he wanted.

"See, right here!" he cried, stabbing his finger at the page.

Undertaker leaned in and took a look for himself.

"'The two who are half-divine, half-damned are betrothed…' Well, this certainly seems to be straightforward," he remarked, looking up at Rue.

"You see why this book sometimes gave me comfort growing up? It reassured me that I wouldn't always be alone," Rue confided. "I realize that it will be years before she's old enough to wed, but still…I can be her chivalrous, devoted knight in shining armor until then."

He bowed, as if she was already standing before him. Suddenly, the night sky lit up brightly as a loud _boom _was heard.

"That would be my cue," Rue announced, a smirk on his mouth and his eyes glowing yellow. "Sorry to cut the reunion short, but duty calls."

So saying, he dashed out the shop and bounded away across the rooftops.


	2. Chapter 2

_Earlier, at the Phantomhive manor…_

"No, and that's final!" Grell said firmly.

The small girl remained unconvinced.

"But Mother," she pleaded, "you've let me come along before!"

"Yes, and I really shouldn't have! Besides, this is different- you could get hurt on a job like this, Lottie! It's a factory fire! It's not some simple, single death! Besides, Justin and Julian need their big sister here. Your father needs his sleep, and you know how ridiculous they get when it storms," Grell replied, appealing to her "big sister" sense of helpfulness.

"They're a pair of scardy-cats!" Lottie complained.

"They're only _three_, Lottie; they don't know any better yet. And," Grell added, lowering his voice, "if the storm doesn't wake them, your racket will!"

"Eeee!" screamed a small, shrill voice.

"Oh no," Grell groaned.

A little boy with long red hair came barreling into the room and wrapped himself around his mother's legs.

"Too loud!" he cried. "Thunder hurts my ears! The lightning's gonna get me!"

"Julian, don't be silly," Lottie sighed. "Lightning can't 'get' you, not inside anyway."

It was easy enough to tell the twins apart despite the fact that they were identical; Julian refused to have anything to with haircuts beyond a teensy trim, saying that he wanted to be "like Mommy."

"It can't?" Julian asked, not entirely convinced.

"No, and you know what?"

"What?"

"I think your bunny looks tired. You should get him back to bed."

"Okay," Julian yawned. "Night night."

He walked back to his room, dragging his beloved Bitter Rabbit by one leg. This had happened to be one of the easy times; usually he wasn't so quickly calmed.

"Now I _really_ must be going; only ten minutes to go!" Grell said. "Behave yourself!"

Just as he began to vanish, Lottie reached out and grabbed ahold of him. It was too late to do anything about it; Lottie was whisked off with her mother.

Upon arriving and realizing what had happened, Grell was furious.

"I told you no!" he shouted. "You'll get in the way and you'll be in danger! Leave it to the grown-ups; we're _trained_ to deal with situations like this! At least promise me you'll stay right here- the fire shouldn't get this far."

With a quick glance to ensure that his daughter wasn't following him, Grell dashed into the burning building. He summoned his death scythe, fired it up, and swung it into the first victim on his "to die" list. Through the flickering flames, he could see several of his coworkers busily harvesting souls as well. He thought he spotted one he didn't recognize, though. He squinted.

"Dear me, I hope something isn't wrong with my glasses!" he worried aloud. "Maybe it's one of the new hires."

But wait, what was the figure doing? It wasn't just _harvesting_ the soul, it was _devouring _it! The creature, realizing it had been spotted, turned to face Grell. Yellow eyes gleamed in the firelight and it hissed in warning as it sprang away with its meal.

"Get it!" shrieked Grell, drawing the attention of several other reapers. "That _thing_ is eating a soul!"

"What are you going on about?" Alan asked. "I don't see anything like that." He sniffed the air. "Wait, is _Lottie_ here?"

"The foolish girl followed me," Grell answered. "Grabbed onto me just as I was teleporting here."

"See? Nothing to worry about. No demons about eating souls if all I smell is her."

Grell looked around. Sure enough, the strange being had vanished. His relief was short-lived, however, as a feminine scream rang out.

"Lottie!" he cried, dashing outside just in time to see part of the factory roof plummeting toward her.

Suddenly a figure appeared, shoving Lottie out of the way and batting the piece of roofing away as if it was nothing! It was the yellow-eyed being Grell had seen earlier!

"Thank you!" Grell gushed, gathering Lottie in his arms.

"I don't exist, got it?" Lottie's rescuer said forcefully.

"Why? Who are you, anyway?"

"Just call me Rue. You could say I'm a friend."

"But the only people whose eyes glow all funny like yours are…"

"Demons? Can't you tell what I am from my scent, pureblood?"

Grell inhaled. Oddly enough, this Rue fellow smelled almost exactly like Lottie but with a more masculine, slightly musky edge!

"You're a- you're the…" Grell gasped, shocked.

"See? Shhh!" Rue cautioned, a finger to his lips. "Yes, I'm the first demon and shinigami hybrid. What you saw was merely me taking my payment. I'm called in for special circumstances like these. In return, I get one lovely, delicious soul for a meal."

"You're like me and my brothers?" Lottie asked Rue.

"Indeed," he replied, bowing.

He kissed one of Lottie's hands, making her giggle and blush.

"While I'm not certain if they're necessary to live, your demon side naturally craves them," Rue told her. "Perhaps more so in my case, as my demon genes are dominant."

"Ack! Still several names left on my list!" Grell groaned, looking at the paper.

"If you would just tell me where to take her, I could bring Lottie home," Rue suggested.

"I don't know if Sebby would like it if a stranger showed up with our little girl."

" 'Sebby?' Not Sebastian Michaelis, is it?"

"Well, err, yes," Grell admitted.

Rue snorted contemptuously.

"He's gone all soft over that young master of his," he sneered. "Now _that's_ one tasty soul, or so I hear tell. A real rarity."

"You're not eating Uncle Ciel!" Lottie shouted.

"No, he's your father's meal. Pity," Rue sighed. "Your father has the oddest attachment to his food. Next you'll have me believe that you befriend pigs before you slaughter them for bacon! By the way, Grell, why don't you just use your mate-bond and send a message to your 'Sebby' that way to let him know I'm coming?"

"It would certainly be helpful. Wait a minute, how did you know who I am?"

"_Everybody _connected with the reapers knows about Grell Sutcliff; you're rather notorious, you know."

As Grell turned and got back to work, Rue took Lottie's hand and they left together for the Phantomhive manor.

Sebastian was awakened by the sound of Pluto barking.

"What is it now, you stupid mutt?" he muttered, dressing and taking a quick leap out the window to see what was going on.

Suddenly he got a picture in his mind's eyes of a strange man walking with Lottie.

_It's all right, Sebby, _he heard Grell say. _He saved Lottie. _

Saved Lottie?! Where had she been?!

Lottie could feel Rue bristle as she saw her father approaching. Rue startled her by letting his fangs swing out and she saw his tongue become more forked and snakelike. She imagined it was an instinctive reaction; two demons, especially two males, didn't usually cross paths unless fighting or taking a mate.

"I understand you have my daughter," Sebastian called out.

"You'd best back up, Lottie," Rue warned.

"Why? You're not going to…you're not going to _fight_, are you?"

"I ssshould hope not, but he'll likely want to sssusss me out, sssize me up as a potential opponent."

Lottie retreated to a nearby tree.

"Yesss, _crow_, I have Lottie," Rue replied.

"Then you have me at a disadvantage. Your demon species would be serpent, I imagine?"

"Eldessst ssson of the Ssserpent Highlord," Rue spat.

This had Lottie worried. From what little she recalled of the demon hierarchy, the Serpent clan was the second-highest ranked under Satan himself, and she knew that crows weren't above that.

"Bastard-born but acknowledged!" Rue continued, allowing for a slightly lowered status but showing that his father had indeed claimed him as his son.

"Well, well, impressive lineage," Sebastian responded. "Your scent is off, though."

"I'm half shinigami, like your children."

A hissing sound seemed to come from everywhere at once, as if the grounds were filled with snakes. Could it be that Rue was somehow throwing and amplifying the sound as a sort of threat display, Lottie wondered?

"A challenge?" Sebastian said, his eyes glowing the strange pink that signified a heightened emotion.

"A warning," Rue replied.

"Stop!" Lottie cried, rushing to her father's side. "I'm all right! No one needs to get hurt!"

"_I'm _not getting hurt," Rue sneered.

"Didn't Mother tell you he saved me from a burning factory and that everything's okay?" Lottie said, pleading with Sebastian in a last-ditch effort to stop the macho posturing and potential fight.

"Stop that racket immediately!" another voice commanded.

"Oh look, you're being brought to heel like a good dog," Rue remarked disdainfully. "I imagine that's your master now."

"Enough, Rue!" Lottie said. "I'll…I'll _hate_ you if you don't stop!"

_This _seemed to have an effect. Rue retracted his fangs, his tongue became more humanlike, and his eyes stopped glowing.

"I'm truly sorry, milady," Rue apologized, bowing to Lottie.

"Well, Lottie seems to esteem you highly," Sebastian commented. "One would think you'd been friends for some time."

"I've never met anyone like him besides Justin and Julian," Lottie said, looking up at Rue with a mixture of awe and admiration.

"Justin and Julian?" Rue asked.

"My younger brothers," Lottie replied.

"So there's more of our kind," he mused aloud thoughtfully.

Lottie turned to her father.  
"I'm sorry; I followed Mother and almost got hit by a piece of falling roof. Rue saved me!"

"Then thank you, Rue. As for you, young lady, you will _never_ do such a foolish thing again! When your mother tells you you can't come, the answer is no and that's final!" Sebastian ordered.

"Yes, Father," Lottie replied, seeming to droop a bit.

"Perhaps Lottie and I could be friends of a sort; I could teach her what she'll likely experience growing up. How to handle likely powers and those kinds of things," Rue suggested.

Sebastian mulled it over. On one hand, he was loathe to allow a strange adult around Lottie, but on the other hand he could see advantages. This Rue fellow obviously had first-hand experience growing up as a hybrid. He had also proven that he could keep Lottie safe, not to mention the fact that his rank could keep other supernatural beings with nefarious designs away.

"Think it over, Sebastian," Rue said. "By the by, I'm staying with Undertaker so we may well see each other often. Your master has frequent dealings with him, yes?"

"Yes, he's a veritable fount of information when he wants to be," Sebastian remarked.

"I'm posing as his assistant; foolish humans are incredibly dense as far as the supernatural goes. I don't look like anything remarkable unless I'm angry."

A church bell tower rang in the distance. Rue took out a pocket watch and consulted it.

"Ah, it seems that my shift is over," he remarked. "Sorry for causing a scene; do apologize to the earl for me. I'm sure you understand that someone in my position cannot afford to appear weak."

He bounded off and, when he was some distance away, disappeared mid-leap.

**Author note: I had a lot of fun writing the confrontation scene; I had Rue doing most of the aggressive posturing because he's younger and, as he says, has a lot more to prove. Suggestions and ideas welcome! Oh, and btw, the gratuitous yaoi's coming up! Also, ****I almost forgot to give credit to my fan, komotomushi, for the ideas about Rue's job description and the fire idea. That was a big help!**


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Grell got home, it was nearly sunup. He trudged into the bedroom he shared with Sebastian and flopped in a disheveled red heap on the bed.

"Ugh, remind me again why I don't relish the night shift!" he groaned. "I need my beauty sleep!"

"You may wish to remove your clothing first; it can't be very comfortable lying like that," Sebastian suggested, pulling the covers away from his face and looking up at Grell.

"Ooh, Sebby, you just want to see me _en dishabille_, you naughty thing!" Grell replied, preening a bit.

Sebastian was always amused when Grell acted as if they hadn't been mates for the past five years and didn't have three children together. Once Grell had changed into his favorite silky red nightie, Sebastian sat up, wrapped his arms around the shinigami, and pulled him into the bed, saying, "Come here, Grell."

"Eeee!" Grell squealed, wiggling and pretending to resist.

"Shh, you'll wake the children," Sebastian reminded him.

"I want another one," Grell announced, snuggling up to his mate."

"Oh?"

"Another baby," Grell clarified.

"And you used to say you didn't like children," Sebastian teased.

"It's different when they're _yours_, Sebby. It's the new recruits that give me a headache sometimes. Ugh, and there's going to be a fresh batch of graduates joining us today! I hope _I_ don't get assigned to be someone's mentor; I have enough trouble trying to keep Lottie from following me. Another tag-along I don't need."

"I heard from a certain Rue that she 'tagged along' tonight."

"I know, sweetheart. I didn't have the chance to send her back and she hasn't gotten the hang of travelling on her own yet. I thought she was far enough away to be safe! Thank goodness he was there to save her!"

"Yes, although he caused a racket and woke the young master."

"Ah, the lovebirds," Grell gushed. "I imagine Alois slept through it all; he sleeps like a log. Pity about Lizzy though; dying in a carriage accident can't be a pleasant way to go. It was extremely awkward being the one to come for her soul."

"What does her death a year ago have to do with Alois and what happened tonight?"

"I was merely thinking about how things have changed. I wonder if she ever suspected just how close Ciel and Alois were. Still are, but you know what I mean."

"He and the young master are the very souls of discretion when it comes to their relationship. In public, they merely appear to be close friends."

"I think it's adorable that they exchanged rings; if they were shinigami they'd be mates now and no one could separate them. Clever of them to wear them on their _right_ hands."

"Speaking of close relationships, Rue seemed very familiar with Lottie."

"Oh? I saw nothing but chivalry and propriety when he was with me."

"I didn't mean that he did anything improper. It seemed as though he had met her before, though."

"I'm certain one of us would have noticed a strange half-blood hanging about. After all, there's not just you and I; Claude's often here with Alois," Grell remarked with a shudder. "Yech! I _still_ don't like that spider hanging about."

"I understand the sentiment completely," Sebastian assured him. "However, as a butler I must put up with some things that are not to my liking."

"I was just thinking," Grell remarked, "that if Rue's mother was a reaper that means that there's another shinigami out there like me who thought it was impossible for them to have a child but could do so after all. I wonder who it is?"

"I wouldn't look too deeply into it unless it becomes necessary. Someone went to great lengths to conceal Rue's existence and his mother's identity. Could you imagine the embarrassment and shame of feeling yourself to be male and then discovering that you are pregnant against your will?"

"I can understand a person's body not matching their self-perception. I wound up with the wrong one entirely."

"Don't say that, Grell," Sebastian gently chided, running a hand through Grell's long red hair. "I, for one, very much enjoy it."

He began to lick and nip at Grell's neck, causing the shinigami to melt.

"Ohhh, _Sebby_!" Grell moaned.

Sebastian chuckled, a low and lustful sound. "Hush. You know the children aren't far away."

He reached up under Grell's nightgown and began to stroke him through the silky panties he wore. Grell whined needily, craving the sweet relief that only Sebastian's cock could provide. Sebastian loved torturing his mate this way, driving him crazy while challenging him to remain as quiet as possible. This wasn't very easy for Grell; he was a screamer.

"You want me very badly, don't you, Grell?" Sebastian teased. "Why, you're as hard as a rock!"

"Please!" Grell pleaded, fumbling frantically in the nightstand drawer for the lube.

"So impatient!"

Sebastian removed his own pajama bottoms, allowing his massive hard-on to spring free. He recalled how intimidated Grell had been when he first laid eyes on it the day Lottie was conceived. Now, however, Grell was nothing but greedy for it. He had gone from being merely an incorrigible flirt to an insatiable slut, at least where Sebastian was concerned.

"Give it to me _now_!" Grell whispered harshly.

Sebastian made himself nicely slick then moved Grell's panties aside with a hand without removing them.

"_Now_!" Grell demanded impatiently.

"As you wish, _my lady_" Sebastian purred, burying himself in Grell with no further preparation.

Grell's mouth and eyes opened wide in ecstasy, a wordless cry erupting from him. Sebastian rolled with Grell from a spooning position to Grell on his stomach with Sebastian on top. This position always felt so delightfully bestial for both of them. Black nails clawed at porcelain skin, leaving thin red trails down Grell's arms. He screamed his pleasure into the sheets as the demon slammed into his sweet spot repeatedly. When he came, his hole spasmed around Sebastian's cock, milking him dry.

Sebastian let out a low, satisfied growl and slowly dismounted.

"That ought to satisfy you for awhile, you impossible wench," he said to Grell, a smirk on his face.

"For awhile," Grell conceded, a sort of dopey grin on his face. "Though I'm sure I'll want more tonight."

"Of course," Sebastian chuckled, a sound he rarely made outside Grell's company. "Get some rest. For all we know you could be expecting now, and you know how ill it makes you for the first few months."

"You look out for me so well, Sebby," Grell sighed happily, nestling under the covers and falling asleep.

"_Master Sutcliff? Master Sutcliff, where…?" The man looked down as he passed through the hall and spotted his student sitting quietly in an armchair reading a book of poetry. "Oh, there you are."_

_The boy looked up and blushed. _

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Spence," he apologized. "I get caught up in my reading sometimes. Is it time for my lessons to begin?"_

_Mr. Spence found himself reddening a bit. Was the boy making eyes at him? Ridiculous. Young Grell was an innocent, mild as milk. Not a sensuous bone in his body. _

"_Err, yes. Come along then," he told his young charge. _

_They arrived in the school room upstairs and Grell shut the door behind them. _

"_Mr. Spence, there's something very important that I have to tell you," Grell told his tutor. _

"_Oh? What is it?"_

"_I'm…I'm not what I look like. I'm…a girl."_

_Grell looked on the verge of tears. Against his better judgment, Mr. Spence reached out to Grell and drew him close in a comforting hug. _

"_It's all right, Master Sutcliff," he soothed. _

"_You're not…shocked?" Grell asked. _

"_Should I be? I once knew someone else who was the same way."_

"_Oh, Mr. Spence, it means so much to hear that!" the reedy thirteen-year-old said, looking up adoringly. "There's one more thing, though."_

_He reached up and grasped Mr. Spence's cravat and gently tugged on it. The tutor allowed Grell to draw his head down, supposing that he wanted to perhaps whisper a secret in his ear. Instead, to his surprise, the boy began to kiss him!"_

"_Master Sutcliff," Mr. Spence tried, but couldn't seem to continue. _

_He knew he should tell the boy to stop, should back away, should be the adult. But Grell's lips on his felt so good. In spite of himself, he moaned into the kiss. He felt himself growing hard, and then a slender hand at his fly._

"_I've heard that…there's a way for a man to lie with another man like he would with a woman. I realize that my body is male and what that would entail…I want that. I want you to take me," Grell said softly. _

_Mr. Spence started. He removed Grell's hand and looked at him. _

"_No, I can't," he said. "Not that. I can't take your innocence that way." _

"_But you _can_ do other things, can't you?" Grell persisted. "I'd be rather disappointed if you didn't; you _were_ my first kiss after all. It's not nice to steal a girl's first kiss and then leave her hanging." _

"I _stole it?" Mr. Spence said, incredulous. How the boy could turn the tables! "Master Sutcliff, you…"_

_And then Grell was on him again, kissing him with uncharacteristic boldness. _

"_If you won't do things to me, then _I'll _do things to _you_," Grell proclaimed, giving his tutor an unmistakably lustful look. _

_Stunned into immobility, Mr. Spence watched as Grell crouched before him, opened his fly, and began to lavish his cock with attentive licks of his small pink tongue. _

"_Ahh, Grell," Mr. Spence moaned. _

"_I hope I'm doing this correctly; it's my first time at _this_ too."_

"_More than correctly; you're…oh God!"_

_And then Grell's mouth was on him, taking him in and sucking him. He tried to hold back, but it simply felt too good. It wasn't ong before he found himself cumming into that sweet young mouth. To his surprise, the boy even swallowed and then licked his lips!_

"_Did I do well, Mr. Spence?" Grell asked, all innocence and sweetness.  
_

"_Henry," Mr. Spence managed, collapsing into a chair, his knees gone week. _

"_Ooh, _Henry _then," Grell purred, the temptress once again. _

_He sat on the man's lasp and snuggled up to him, nuzzling his chest. Mr. Spence petted Grell's head, stroking the soft brown hair. _

"_You…understand the need for discretion, then?" he asked his pupil. _

"_Oh yes," Grell assured him. "I'll keep it our little secret. I'll be content with a bit of loveplay here and there if you won't fuck me."_

"_Grell, language!" Mr. Spence scolded. _

"_Funny how you're worrying what comes _out_ of my mouth when you _loved _what went _into _it," Grell remarked pertly. _

"_You little fool, do you realize what you're playing at?" Mr. Spence reproached him. _

"_Playing?"_

_Gone was the temptress, and in her place was a timid boy once again. _

"_It's not a game, Henry," Grell said. "I…I've been interested in you for awhile now. Father would beat me if he knew that I desire boys. He doesn't see the girl I really am, just a rather mousey, disappointing heir who isn't the slightest bit interested in more 'manly' pursuits."_

"_He won't hear of it from me," Mr. Spence promised. "There now, shall we get on with our lessons?"_

"_All right," Grell replied, climbing off his tutor's lap and sitting at the desk with a small smile. _

"_And no making calf's eyes at me out where others could see. If you truly want this, we must be careful."_

"_Of course," Grell said amiably. _

_They continued in that fashion for quite some time, until the fateful day when Grell's father caught them at it. Of course Mr. Spence was summarily dismissed, and a teary-eyed Grell watched his first sweetheart leave. The beating that followed left Grell sore for quite some time; he was surprised that his father hadn't broken any bones. _

"Mother? Mother, wake up."

**Author note: I had a lot of fun writing the yaoi bits in this chapter! I especially had fun with Grell being a "naughty schoolboy"- I was trying to imagine what he might have been like when he was first discovering himself and his gender identity/sexual orientation. I don't know why I enjoy writing about favorite characters' horrible childhoods; seems like Grell just couldn't catch any breaks! Beatings for being caught in a dress, being caught at sex…how sucky! **


	4. Chapter 4

Grell awoke to find that it was time for supper and Lottie was standing by the bed shaking his shoulder.

"Mmm?" he murmured, bleary-eyed.

"You were crying in your sleep/"

"Oh dear, was I? I had a bad dream. Something that happened when I was young."

"It's all right," Lottie said. "You're awake now. It'll only be Uncle Alois at supper; Uncle Ciel isn't feeling well. It seems like he's been ill about this time of day for a few weeks. He's fine afterwards, though."

"Sick about the same time every day? It sounds like…"

"Like what?"

"Well, when I was going to have you and your brothers that would happen to me for the first few months of pregnancy."

"Uncle Ciel is going to have a baby?"

Lottie's eyes widened.

"Dear me, I should hope not! As far as I know it doesn't ordinarily happen to male humans. Do mention it to your father, though, as a possible cause."

After dressing, Grell and Lottie encountered Alois also heading downstairs. He seemed rather peevish.

"Good evening, Uncle Alois," Lottie said politely.

"Good evening, Lottie," he sighed, relaxing a bit at the sight of the small girl.

"What's wrong?"

"Ciel is being snappish again. I honestly don't know what's come over him lately! He's _never_ short with me!"

Suddenly a shout rang out.

"I'm WHAT?!"

It was Ciel, obviously displeased by whatever Sebastian had just told him.

"I'd best go see what the matter is," Alois said. "You two head on down."

He headed back upstairs and into the bedroom, where Sebastian had just deftly caught a pitcher hurled at his head.

"Alois! Sebastian claims that I'm _expecting_!" Ciel cried angrily.

"Expecting? As in _pregnant_?"

"What other kind is there?"

"Well, one could be expecting a package," Alois said thoughtfully.

"I'm certain Sebastian doesn't mean that!" Ciel snorted, sitting up in bed with an extremely cross expression on his face.

"Well, you know Sebastian can't lie to you," Alois reminded his boyfriend.

"But how on earth did this happen? I'm a _man_, not a woman! And I'm _nothing _like that freak Grell!"

"Oh, look on the bright side, Cielly- if it's a boy, it solves your problem of an heir right there! You never need bother with marriage at all then!"

"You _would_ find something positive about this mess," Ciel responded sullenly. "You're to blame, you know."

"_Me_? Need I remind you that we engage in bedsport _together_?"

Alois removed his boots and climbed onto the bed beside Ciel. Getting an idea, he leaned over and gave Ciel's ear a little lick. Sure enough, Ciel let out a soft moan deep in his throat.

"Stop that," Ciel said, without much conviction. "It's how we got into this situation in the first place. First I hear there was a fire in one of my factories, then Sebastian says I'm having a baby, now…"

"Now I'm trying to help you calm down," Alois finished. "Getting stressed isn't good for the baby." He looked at Sebastian. "How far along is he?"

"The fetus appears to be about two and a half months along," Sebastian replied.

"At least I know that you're not _really_ mad at me; you're just hormonal because of the baby," the blond said to Ciel, smiling. "Who would have ever envisioned us as parents? Especially with our horrific childhoods!"

"Yes, an orphan and a little sl…"

"Ciel!" Alois exclaimed, clapping a hand over his sweetheart's mouth. "It seems you've acquired quite the gutter mouth."

"Too much time around you, I suppose," Ciel replied, feigning seriousness.

"Well, you were _born_ to your earldom, while I rather earned mine…on my back."

So saying, Alois demonstrated by rolling onto his back and pulling Ciel on top of him.

"Alois!"

"Yes, I know, not in front of Sebastian," Alois teased. "Remember the time I handcuffed you and covered you in whipped cream and cherries, then made you summon Sebastian?"

Ciel reddened.

"Yes," he replied.

"See? I've done worse than this and you survived."

"I still don't want to turn into a woman," Ciel snorted.

"It's our _baby_, Cielly," Alois said softly. "Don't tell me you want Sebastian to find a way to…end things."

"You're really set on this, aren't you?"

"I find I rather like the idea of us having a little family."

"Then as long as I'm safe, I'll do this."

"Sebastian _can't _let anything happen to you; there's now an innocent soul in the mix as the contract is only on yours."

"What if this is how I die?"

"Don't talk like that, Cielly," Alois pleaded. "I don't want to hear anything about dying. Not when you've got something else to live for now. Talk to Grell; he knows all about this sort of thing."

As if on cue, Grell walked into the room.

"What on earth?!" Ciel cried. "This is _not_ a party in my bedchamber!"

He scrambled off of Alois and back under the covers.

"Lottie wanted to make sure you were all right," Grell apologized.

"So you _are _having a baby with Uncle Alois?" Lottie asked Ciel.

"Apparently," Ciel responded. "Though I'm not sure how exactly it happened."

"You just let me know if you have any questions," Grell grinned. "I've been through it twice." He thought a minute. "You don't think _Rue _being here could have anything to do with it?" he asked Sebastian.

"Not likely. For one, he's been back on earth from Hell for quite some time. If it was due to his influence it would have happened sooner, I should think. Secondly, as high-ranking as he is, as a halfling he just doesn't have the sheer demonic force necessary to alter reality in such a way as to make a male human pregnancy possible. No, it would take at least a clan highlord for such a thing."

"Rue? Clan highlord? What are you going on about?" Ciel demanded.

"Rue is a half-demon, half-shinigami; the original, actually. He appears to desire at least friendship with Lottie, although I sense he's positioning himself as a potential suitor."

"Suitor?!" Grell shrieked. "But Lottie's only five! He never said anything to _me _about that!"

"Calm yourself, Grell," Sebastian spoke up. "Even if we _did_ agree to a betrothal, nothing would happen for years. And I would of course not agree if Lottie herself didn't consent."

"I'm right here, Father," Lottie reminded him, tugging on the bottom hem of his suit jacket. "You think Rue may want a promise from me to become his mate someday?"

"Perhaps. Do forgive me, my lords, but I must ensure that Bard hasn't completely destroyed the evening meal."

So saying, Sebastian left with a bow.

Crashing sounds could be heard coming from the kitchen, along with a man crying, "Hey, come back here with that!"

Sebastian braced himself and entered. A small, sauce-covered figure chased another who was covered in flour around an island, followed by an agitated Meirin.

"Now, boys, let's go play somewhere else," she pleaded, trying to snatch the bowl of flour from Justin.

"Stop right there, you two!" Sebastian ordered.

Julian skidded to a halt, causing Justin to crash into his brother and sending the flour airborne. Then Meirin tripped over both of them and all three wound up in a heap on the floor.

"Off! Squashed!" Julian squeaked, at the bottom of the pile.

Sebastian sighed, deftly catching the flour before any more could be spilled.

"Sorry, Sebastian!" Meirin apologized, blushing and getting up.

"What did I say about behaving for Meirin, you two?" Sebastian scolded his sons. "It isn't nice to bother Bard when he's cooking either."

"We were just helping!" Justin tried.

"Helping!" Julian agreed.

"Helping by throwing ingredients at each other? I doubt that very much. Meirin, kindly take them upstairs and get them bathed and changed. Once again it appears that I must salvage the meal."

"At least this time it wasn't me that messed things up!" Bard grinned.

Back in the bedroom, after Grell and Lottie had left, Alois and Ciel sat talking. Alois was holding Ciel, one hand gently stroking where the baby lay.

"How are you feeling now?" Alois asked Ciel.

"It seems as though the nausea's passed, for now at least. So, according to Sebastian, there's a powerful demon lurking somewhere that caused this," he replied.

"Apparently. Though why our butlers neglected to mention it escapes me."

"Perhaps because until now it had no bearing on our lives and doesn't pose a direct threat."

"It would be like them to do something like that," Alois sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ciel, there's something I've wondered for awhile now."

"Hmm?"

"Do you miss Lizzy at all? I mean, this situation…it should have been you and her having a baby, not _us_. Being the Earl and Duchess of Phantomhive…" he trailed off vaguely.

"Of course I do, Alois," Ciel admitted. "What kind of unfeeling monster do you think I am? While I can't say for certain that I loved her, we'd been together since we were children. You can't just forget such a lengthy relationship."

"No, I suppose not," Alois allowed. "Though I do wonder sometimes if you would have been happier with her. With her, you would have had a normal life, you could openly acknowledge your relationship. It wouldn't be seen as shameful or aberrant."

"Alois, what happened to the boy who told Grell, 'It's our business what Ciel and I do with our bodies and no one else's. It's not wrong or sinful'? Surely you're not having some bizarre attack of conscience over us?"

"Of course not, Cielly!" Alois gasped. "It's just that…I worry about you, you know. I don't want to be your potential ruination in Society."

"You're not a potential ruination," Ciel assured him. "Besides, if this is ruin, I rather enjoy it."

The look Ciel gave him next had Alois hard in an instant, a face that was not lost on Ciel. He gazed pointedly at the now-prominent bulge in Alois' trousers, and his skillful hands soon had the garment off the blond.

"Ohh, are we feeling amorous, Cielly?" Alois asked, knowing the answer.

Ciel, wearing only a nightshirt, crouched on the bed in such a way that his head was at Alois' lap and his ass towards Alois' head. Ciel placed his mouth on the tip of Alois' swollen cock and began to slowly take him in.

"Yes, oh, that's so good," Alois praised, placing his right index finger in his mouth and sucking to make it good and wet.

He heard an audible moan from the younger earl as he slid the wetted digit into Ciel's entrance. Even though he knew that Ciel no longer _needed_ lengthy foreplay to prepare him, Alois still enjoyed lavishing such attention on his lover. Another slick finger slid in beside the first, questing for Ciel's sweet spot. Upon finding it, Alois was rewarded with an even louder moan, which sent delicious vibrations through his cock.

"Make it nice and wet," Alois encouraged. "I want to be inside that sweet ass of yours, Cielly."

Ciel paused briefly in his ministrations.

"Oh? How badly do you want it?" he asked teasingly.

"_This _badly," Alois said forcefully. "Hands and knees, _now_!"

Ciel was roughly shoved into position by his enthusiastic boyfriend. There were times like this when he enjoyed Alois being forcible with him. He couldn't restrain himself from letting out a loud, amorous cry when the blond slammed into him in one swift stroke, hitting his sweet spot dead on.

"Nnngh!" Alois gasped as he was suddenly enveloped in tight, wet heat.

Despite his extensive experience in the bedroom, Alois still had to fight to hold back from cumming instantly like some green boy in instances such as this. Being inside Ciel was simply that amazing. As he thrust, he began to lick and nip at the nape of Ciel's neck, earning some delicious shudders from Ciel.

"Ahh, Alois," Ciel managed. "Ohh, _yes!_"

Even as little as six years ago, he never would have imagined himself in a relationship with Alois, let alone willingly having sex with him.

"Sebastian used to say you weren't for the likes of me, that I wasn't worthy of putting hands on you. But you're _mine_ now. All _mine_," Alois whispered forcefully.

"Yours," Ciel agreed, half out of his mind with pleasure.

It was one thing that hadn't changed in their years together; Alois still had a possessive streak a mile wide when it came to Ciel. Ciel imagined it had something to do with the former Jim Macken's childhood, when circumstances were so tenuous that he could never be certain things wouldn't be taken away from him or changed the very next minute. He was driven from his musings several minutes later as he found himself on the edge and flew over, cum jetting onto the sheets.

"Yesss, sweetheart," Alois moaned, cumming shortly thereafter.

The two embraced, a mess of sweat and cum. Needless to say, it was awhile before Alois came down to supper.

**Author note: And yet another insane update! Meirin sucks at babysitting, hehe! I know someone's gonna kill me over torturing poor Ciel like this, but I had to think of something to move things along, plus it ties into the whole "Something weird's going on because of the demon highlord" plot. Yeah, I love shipping Alois x Ciel! **


End file.
